UK eBay and marketplace traders are at a serious disadvantage going into this year’s Black Friday-Cyber Monday bonanza. The low value of the pound means buying stock from overseas sources such as Ali Express and Alibaba.com’s wholesale site is less cost effective than it was before the Brexit vote, and this gives overseas retailers an advantage
But David Jinks, Fastlane International‘s Head of Consumer Research suggests a way for canny traders to take advantage of Singles Day – the world’s biggest global shopping day – to source products from Alibaba and AliExpress in time for the Black Friday week’s sales events.
‘eBay and marketplace traders have the opportunity to buy at rock-bottom prices on 11 November enabling them to stock up ready for Black Friday/Cyber Monday, which are significantly more important dates for UK and US consumers’ explains David.
A slight caveat for traders buying from Chinese-sourced sites is to allow for delivery times. The legendary ‘slow boat from China’ is no myth and regular traders will be well-aware of the delivery times for non-urgent shipments from China. Traders should keep this in mind when sourcing stock for the busy Black Friday period.
Fastlane is predicting that traders buying in bulk in preparation for Black Friday/Cyber Monday could boost Singles Day sales significantly. ‘While the current betting is Singles Day sales could rise by 40% we wouldn’t be surprised if that figure was much nearer 50% higher, rising to $21.45bn. That knocks combined Black-Friday and Cyber Monday sales into a cocked hat!’ says David.
